Who Wants to Live Forever?
by Fan of Fanfics
Summary: Most children feel immortal-they have no sense that they're ever going to die. For a child, even growing up is something that's barely comprehensible. But for the true immortals, the incomprehensible is very real. And in time, even this world becomes a Hell. They become seekers of death. Never finding solace until their immortality is spent. This is the story of one such immortal.
1. Chapter 1

How goes it everybody? I felt like overhauling the old Sekirei story into something new, and this was the result.

Disclaimer: I own Neither Naruto or Sekirei.

Aokigahara, also known as the Sea of Trees. A 35-square-kilometre forest that lies at the northwest base of Mount Fuji. The forest contains a number of rocky, icy caverns, a few of which are popular tourist destinations. Due to the wind-blocking density of the trees and an absence of wildlife, the forest is known for being exceptionally quiet. Deathly quiet...

The forest has a historic association with demons in mythology and is a popular place for suicides despite numerous signs, in Japanese and English, urging people to reconsider their actions. These signs did not deter the young girl as she moved deeper and deeper into the dark forest, tears streaming down her face. In her trembling hands, she clutched a small pocket knife.

Yuri looked around, finally deciding she had gone deep enough in the forest. She leaned up against a tree, almost sobbing now as she slid down into a seated position. It was quiet save for her crying. Sliding the knife out, she prepared to draw it across her wrists as she remembered why she was here. Her mother had been sick. It was for that reason she had married again. Her step-father had seemed kind and caring at first, but showed his true colors once her mother passed. Everything they owned, he took for himself, before kicking her out on the street.

She felt the blade on her wrist, but couldn't bring herself to actually slice into her flesh. She was trembling even more, and she actually dropped the knife to the forest floor. As she gripped it in her hand, another hand gently brought hers into his own. Her eyes widened and she jerked her head up to look at the blonde-hair and sad blue eyes of a young man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. Picking her hand up, he forced her grip tighter on the knife.

"You hesitated," he said, softly. "Do you not want to die?" She did, didn't she? Her life was a living hell. After being kicked out, she hadn't slept indoors once. She was forced to scavenge trashes for food. Since she had no home, no car, and nobody to vouch for her, she couldn't even get a job. Nobody wanted to take the risk she may have to run off on them, or that she wouldn't steal. The only way she could have any peace now was in death. But did she want to go out alone? Did she just wish to fade without leaving behind a single memory? Nobody to even know she was gone until the next body hunt? Looking up at the man, who wiped a tear from her cheek, she whispered to him.

"Stay with me?" The man's gaze softened and he smiled a sad smile, before nodding. Picking the teen up and moving beneath her, he embraced her as she sat in his lap. Quickly, trying to make things as painless as possible, she drew the blade across both of her wrists, slicing her tendons and forcing her to lose her grip. The blonde man stroked her hair and hummed a small melody. Time seemed to slow for Yuri, who felt strangely warm as a dark figure manifested before her.

The blonde too, watched as the Shinigami, the death god, paid him no mind as he reached seemingly within Yuri, gripping something and pulling it out. At first it looked like a figure made of a blue light, before that diminished and revealed a transluscent form of the girl as the blonde who held her felt the life leave her.

Motioning with his hand, the air distorted next to the Shinigami, warping and opening into a portal of light. "Come child," rang the voice of the God of Death, which sounded like the collective speaking of millions, as though all who had ever died were speaking as one through the deity. "You have suffered enough in this world. Your mother awaits." For the first time that night, the blonde watched Yuri smile, floating to him and kissing his cheek. Not that he could feel it.

"Thank you," she told him, unsure of whether or not he could even see or hear her, before she entered the field of light. The Shinigami spared one final glance at the blonde man, before turning away and fading into mist, which slowly discipated in the air. Looking at the lifeless form in his arms, the man wiped the tears from her face.

"I really wish I could come with you kid...I really do." Laying her across the ground, he made a hand sign, before the ground around Yuri's body become more like mud. As her body sank below the surface, the blonde sighed, returning the ground to its normal state. And in a gust of wind, all that remained of the blonde man were a few drifting leaves.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto let out a sigh as he gazed out the window of the train, bringing him to the city of Shinto Teito. His mind flashed to the the previous night, and the girl he helped to move on. He didn't even learn her name. He absent-mindedly sipped his tea as he saw the skyline of the city drawing ever closer. As he changed his focus to his reflection in the window, he frowned when he realized it was not his own.

"Shinigami...to what do I owe this...pleasure," he asked, his voice laced with an almost acidic amount of sarcasm. The Death God did not even change its expression as time seemed to slow to a stop. "Are you finally here to take me? Or will you continue to mock me? Continue to leave me stranded in this life with no hope of moving to the next?"

"Never once have I mocked you, Naruto," the deity said, elisciting a growl from the blonde when he spoke. Rather than the 'voice-of-the-legion' effect he usually had, the Shinigami always decided to speak to him using the voices of his deceased friends, today talking with the voice of Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. "You have brought this fate upon yourself. And-"

"Bullshit 'I brought this on my self!" Naruto shouted. "All my friends, gone. The shinobi way of life, gone. Even Kurama is gone. I saved the fucking world! What the hell do you want from me?"

"You were _gifted_ with eternal life for one reason," shot back the Shinigami, now speaking in the voice of Tsunade. "To live. So much was placed on you from an early age that even the bijuu felt sorry for you. _They_ gave you immortality so you could live freely and be happy. And since then, you have squandered their gift by fighting wars, causing disasters, solely for the purpose of bringing an end to your existence. It would be an insult to you and the beasts to take you."

"So what? How do they expect me to be happy? Everyone I have ever known has withered away and died, while I have remained the same. Everyone I will come to know in the future will do the same. Why should I be happy about that?" Shinigami sighed sadly at the blonde, before vanishing.

"Perhaps soon, you shall understand true happiness, if only for a short time. And then you will see why the Bijuu bestowed this gift upon you." With his final words, spoken with the all too familiar voice of Kurama, time seemed to return to its normal flow. Naruto narrowed his eyes as the train pulled into the station, before collecting his things and exiting. His goal was simple. The company MBI had recently been growing even more rapidly than when it had first appeared, and it was rumored they would be attempting to buy out the entire city, and already had its own military. He was hoping he could find the odd job as a mercenary, or perhaps delve into a little corporate espionage. Sure, he could always fall back on his day job as an author, but that was boring. Though due to his complete immortality, nothing could really pose a challenge anymore.

As he absent-mindedly walked the streets, he recalled as many of his previous attempts at death that he could remember. He had been shot, stabbed, clubbed, beaten, poisoned, decapitated, incinerated, even drowned. Yet each time, his body would heal, or even full-on regenerate and the Shinigami would not come. He wasn't even sure he could die in the vacuum of space, but that was one he just never had the chance to try. There was that time he pushed a man out of the way of a bus. Of course he got hit, but he got up moments later, reattaching his arm and head. The man he had saved had looked at him in shock. He would later find out the man was named Rob Liefeld, and he worked in comics. Next thing Naruto knew, a comic book character was out, and inspired by him. He didn't really pay it any mind, as the character himself was completely insane. What was he called? Red-Dead? Deathwish? Deadpool? Something like that.

He was broken from his musings upon hearing the sounds of explosions from above. Looking to the sky, he watched two figures, female by the look of them, leap from the roof of one building to the building across the street, pursued by three others. Nobody on the bustling sidewalk paid any mind to the blonde in the crowd suddenly vanishing. In fact, the slight breeze created by the shunshin felt nice on the scorcher of a day.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Hikari and Hibiki, the twin Sekirei numbers 11 and 12 respectively, were not having a good day, by any stretch of the imagination. The two were only released into the city a few days prior, and had yet to find an Ashikabi, their destined partner. Not for a lack of trying though. Unfortunately, Sekireis weren't the only ones searching out partners. A few Ashikabis had taken it upon themselves to find and forcibly wing other Sekirei to increase their power in the game that was the Sekirei plan. Though the two were formidable, working in sync to increase their power of lightning, without being winged, they were not only out-numbered, but at a severe disadvantage.

"Crap, they're gaining on us!" shouted Hibiki, twirling mid jump and sending a lighting blast into their pursuers' midst. Not only did they all manage to dodge the strike, but they all separated, coming in on the twins from three sides rather than just one. To their left, Sekirei number 65, Taki. To their right, Sekirei number 38, Mitsuha. But their most pressing concern was their rear opponent. Single Digit and member of the First Sekirei Discipline Squad, Sekirei number 5, Mutsu.

"If we go down, let's at least take one of these bitches with us," replied her sister, who narrowly avoided being tripped up, curtesy of Mitsuha's whip. Taki looked to Mutsu, who gave her a nod. Calling on her power, number 65 began to form a mist around them. Under ordinary circumstances the speed at which they were running would have made this move pointless. However, being as they were so high up, condensing the mist right in the faces of her targets caused them each to miscalculate their last jump, causing the twins to fall down into the alley below. She almost winced at the sounds of cursing as well as a distinct metallic thud that told her they had hit the fire-escape on the way down.

Leaping into the alley as well, they saw Hikari leaning on her sister, barely conscious, a large bruise forming from where her head had slammed into the metal fire escape, before the sisters and the metal structure had crashed to the ground in a heap. Without so much as a word, Mutsu turned to Mitsuha, who smirked as she addressed the two.

"Don't worry, girls," she said, rather snidely. "You'll love being winged by our master." Rearing back her whip, the twins braced themselves for the impact. But it never came. Cracking their eyes open, they were shocked at the blonde man standing before them, number 38's whip wrapped around his forearm. The damn thing was able to crack concrete and he just looked as though it was little more than a mosquito bite...merely a mild annoyance.

"Who the hell are you?" shrieked Mitsuha, annoyed at being interrupted, surprised by the apparent strength of the man, who kept hold of her whip like it was nothing, and confused. She knew he wasn't a Sekirei, but something about him didn't exactly seem human either.

"Well, let me think. I just appeared out of nowhere to save two damsels in distress," he announced in a bored tone. "So I guess that makes me a big damn hero." Giving the whip a jerk, Mitsuha was caught off guard and pulled forward towards the newcomer, who launched a circulating kick across her face. Keeping with his momentum, he continued to spin before whipping his hand out and hitting her neck with a knife-hand strike, followed by a punch to her gut. A tiger-knuckle strike to her nose caused it to break, followed by a second, uppercutting tiger-knuckle to her sternum, fracturing it, before a high-speed palm-strike broke her jaw and sent her flying back onto the ground. The sheer speed, power, and location of the strikes had her unconscious before she even hit the pavement.

Mutsu frowned. This man...he was no ordinary human. Dispite being annoying, number 38 was an excellent fighter, and this man had taken her down in under five seconds. Number 5 wasn't stupid. Despite being a single digit, and as such more powerful than all other sekirei below him, winged or not, he knew enough to never engage in a fight if you didn't understand your opponent's capabilities. Mutsu may have been powerful, but the last time he felt such a presence as the one the man was giving off, was in the presence of his old team.

"We're done here," he announced, momentarily surprising Taki, before she begruginly nodded. She knew better than to argue with Mutsu. He was so respected that even their Ashikabi listened to him, albeit usually reluctantly. Hoisting the unconscious Mitsuha onto her shoulders, she leapt from wall to wall, bringing her beaten teammate to the roof. "As for you, blondie, don't think this is over. I've got my eyes on you." The blonde merely pulled out a small, orange book and began to absent-mindeldly read it.

"Oooh," he announced, again, rather bored in his tone. "I'm just aquiver with fear." Mutsu narrowed his eyes, before following his fellow sekirei to the roof. Stretching out to sense if they were really gone, he replaced his book in his pocket, before beginning to leave the alley.

"Wait!" Raising an eyebrow, he turned toward the twins. They each wore what could only be described as S&M costumes, each in a different color. Other than that, the only difference between them that he could see was their bust sizes. "You're just gonna leave us here? After you saved us, you're just gonna go on your merry way?"

"Yes, that's right," he replied, rather rudely too if you asked Hikari and Hibiki. However, they barely noticed the tone over the heat they were feeling rising within them as he stared at them. "I helped you out because it was the right thing to do. I want no part in whatever business got you into trouble with them, thank you...are you both alright?" The two had adopted a glazed look in their half-lidded eyes, and their faces were bright red. The two could barely keep on their feet.

Leaning in close, Naruto was able to see, and with his chakra-enhanced senses, smell the arousal of the twins, and he began to back away slowly. After witnessing their lightning attacks, he knew these two weren't ordinary humans, and the level to which they seemed to be affected by his presence only furthered that train of thought. Sure, over the years, he had seduced more woman than he could count, but never before was it anything like this. As their legs actually gave in and they began to fall, Naruto cursed under his breath as he ducked in between them, catching Hikari in his right arm and Hibiki in his left.

The twins seemed to muster their strength and to the blonde's surprise, he found himself on the ground with each girl pinning an arm. He felt his arm between their breasts, and under normal circumstances, he would have fought back, but his curiosity was peaked with these two... among other things. He felt himself getting aroused, and he hasn't felt like that in ages. Then he felt a hand grip his hair. He saw Hikari, who was the more impulsive of the two. She suddenly pulled him into her lips, and Naruto felt something he hadn't in a long time... a flare of chakra. It was so string that it was actually visible. He watched as the chakra manifested into a pair of glowing wings behind Hikari.

It lasted only a second, due to Hibiki gently pushing her sister away and taking her place. Unlike Hikari, this one was more gentle. And like before, he watched in amazement as a pair of glowing wings made from pure chakra emerged from her back. He was surprised when Hikari got in one last kiss before a bright light encased the trio, and once it vanished, the twins' eyes rolled back into their heads. He caught them as they landed on him. He wasn't sure if it had to do with the chakra flare, or if they were just exhausted from being chased across the city and crashing into a fire-escape before plummeting into the ground. He assumed it was the later, though it might have been a combination of the two. Standing, he contemplated leaving them both in that alley. The last thing he needed was to become attached to these girls. But as he walked away, he bit his lip, turning his head back to Hikari and Hibiki.

He sighed, telling himself he was just looking to sate his curiosity. Grabbing the girls, he threw Hibiki over his left shoulder, while carrying Hikari under his right arm. Deciding to find a hotel, he leapt up to the rooftops, carrying both girls like it was nothing. The looks on the faces of the hotel staff when he entered the lobby carrying two unconscious S&M twins were priceless enough to make the hassle worth it.

Chapter End

I decided to overhaul my original, which let's face it, it needed to be done. After reading the other stories, I felt that what was wrong was a lack of internal conflict. I noticed the good stories had these dark backstories for Naruto, but often times don't really do anything about it, other than use it to make people feel bad for Naruto. So I decided to not only make Naruto an immortal, but a Death Seeker as well.

I want it to actually drive the plot, rather than simply get brought up at random intervals.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics


	2. Chapter 2

Hi peoples, I hope you like this chap as much as you did the last one. I think the quality has gone down a bit, but the story is at least progressing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Sekirei.

_Naruto took a deep breath in through his nose, letting it out through his mouth. He didn't open his eyes as he breathed. Sitting on the rooftop, he just continued the rhythmic breathing as a warm breeze caressed his face. It seemed like a normal, relaxing day, even for someone like the blonde immortal. But he knew better. Today was the big day. According to his sources, this was going to be his all-time best chance at finally rejoining his people. _

_His sensitive ears picked up a noise, and his right eye cracked open, looking up to see a small, dark speck falling from the sky, getting larger, and larger. One more deep breath, and Naruto steeled himself for what he was fairly certain was coming. "Please..." he whispered. "Bring me peace."_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Blue eyes snapped open as Naruto awoke drenched in a cold sweat. Realizing where he was, he let out a sign and let his head fall back into the pillows of his hotel-bed. He tried to bring his hands up to rub his eyes with a groan, but found them pinned to his sides. Looking to the obstructions, he scowled, seeing the girls he had saved yesterday had moved from the second bed he had placed them in. They were now latched to his arms on either side. At least they were clothed.

With a grunt, he gave them both a shove, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the two as they were thrown on the floor and Naruto sat up, rubbing the crust from his eyes. Every time his eyes closed, he mind went back to his dream. A very old nightmare. Standing, he moved passed Hikari and Hibiki, rubbing their arms and ass respectively as what they had landed on when they hit the floor. Walking to the window, he threw open the curtains to look at the amazing view. As he had more money than he really knew what to do with, he usually stayed in luxury wherever he went, merely out of boredom. And if there was one thing about this penthouse room, it was luxurious.

"What the hell was that for?" demanded Hikari, standing from the floor. Naruto just stared out the window, emotionless as he pointed out of the room.

"There is another Bedroom. That is yours. I suggest if you plan on staying with me, that you stay in your own bed at night," he stated, matter-of-fact. Hibiki looked a bit downtrodden, while her sister looked downright annoyed.

"You have two _gorgeous _girls who willingly crawled into your bed and you're _unhappy_ about it?" Practically seething, Hikari had no clue what she was angrier at. The fact that her new Ashikabi apparently wanted nothing to do with her, or that he was being so rude about it. Something about the way he told them not to sleep in his bed made her feel like he had lots of experience waking up in the morning and kicking women out. _"I swear, if I have to put up with a womanizer of an Ashikabi..." _she thought, her hands sparking with electricity. Naruto's eyes narrowed as Hibiki grabbed her sister's arm and attempted to calm her.

"Woman, my patience for you is wearing thin. You're already lucky I haven't thrown you out on the street...but if attempt to hit me with that attack, you'll be thrown out on the street from this thirty story window." The coldness in his voice caused Hikari to actually flinch, canceling her attack. Turning, he faced the girls, his glare burning into them. "If, however, you explain to me _how_ you use such attacks, and why your chakra flared into visible wings when we kissed, _and_ why those others were after you, I may let you stay." A light flickered in his peripheral vision as a new voice made itself known.

"I believe the explanations should be left to me." Turning, he noticed the television at the foot of his bed had somehow switched on by itself, and he saw a strange man in white staring out at him from the screen. Minaka Hiroto. Naruto knew of him. CEO of the company MBI. A lot of people wanted him on their side, and even more wanted him dead. But what was he doing on his television screen?

"My dear boy, congratulations," he announced. "You have just been chosen as the Ashikabi to these two Sekirei, and as such, allowed the privilege of participating in a grand event." Naruto just growled.

"Enough with the theatrics, Hiroto. Tell me what I want to know, or I'll throw this TV out the window, and you do _not_ want me to come meet you in person." Minaka only laughed at the threat, forcing a snort from Naruto. MBI's CEO obviously had no clue with whom he was dealing. "Very well," the White-haired man continued. "You are what is called an Ashikabi, a person with the ability to connect with Sekirei and allow them to emerge. Throughout the city, there are One-hundred and eight Sekirei, searching for their destined Ashikabi to fight by their side in a glorious competition, the Sekirei Plan." Naruto looked over at the two girls he had apparently 'allowed to emerge' with genuine interest. He knew MBI was making more advancements in modern technology than ever before, he hadn't heard anything about genetic engineering.

"The game is simple. All the Sekirei in the city will find their destined Ashikabi, and fight for them. Fight and fight and fight until only a Single Sekirei/Ashikabi team is left standing. A fantastic story of love and pain that will be told throughout the ages." Again, Naruto scowled. But it was then that Minaka finally said anything to truly interest him.

"Come now, Naruto Uzumaki. Surely, a legend like yourself can understand combat."

"How do you know me?" he asked, and got an answer of a laugh from the man.

"Know you? My dear boy, you're quite possibly the most interesting player in the game right now. Current in a long line of mysterious men who have authored the world famous Icha-Icha book series. Before I forget, let's just say I have the entire collection, and would be honored for an autograph..." Naruto groaned as Minaka chuckled. "On the side, you spend most of your time playing killer-for-hire, living life on the edge, pulling all sorts of dangerous and stupid stunts." Naruto was actually stunned. He was shocked that anyone could connect him to both his books and his mercenary work. Apparently the low profile he usually tried to keep wasn't quite low enough.

"Anyway, this project is top secret. It cannot be revealed to anyone for now, or 'disciplinary action' will be taken. I'm sure you can handle yourself. Good luck numbers Eleven and Twelve, Hikari and Hibiki." The screen went black. Naruto was lost in his thoughts for a moment before his cell-phone rang. How anyone had his number, he had no idea, but _who_ had it was a very different story. He answered and once more heard Minaka's rather irritating voice.

"Now listen and listen closely. You're currently wondering why you should bother playing my little game. Isn't that right, Mr. Immortal?" Naruto's eyes widened, and he nearly crushed the phone in his hand. How in the nine hells did this man know so much about him. "At MBI, we have access to the most advanced technology this world has ever seen. You're tired, you're apathetic. But you will play this game."

"Why should I?" asked Naruto, and he heard Minaka's chuckle.

"Because," he replied. "If you compete and win, you will be given access to all of our data and technology...If you win, we will do all in our power to make you a mortal man." Naruto's breath caught in his throat.

"You're lying," he said when he could finally speak. "Nothing can do what you just claimed." He narrowed his eyes when Minaka laughed at him, yet again.

"Don't tell me after all these years you're giving up?" he asked. "And let's be honest. Isn't a chance to get what you want better than living life without hope of ever seeing death?" The line died as Minaka hung up and left Naruto standing there, the conflict within him building. Looking to the twins, unnerving them with his gaze, he decided that perhaps it was worth a try. He had really stopped after hid last try, and that was decades ago. But he would need to play things safe, which brought up the biggest problem of all. Could he really keep himself from getting attached to these girls? Placing his phone onto the bedside desk, he moved toward the door, motioning for them to follow.

"Come with me," he said, and Hikari and Hibiki could both feel that it was not a request. As they moved outside, they took notice of just where they were. The penthouse of a very nice hotel, by the looks of it. With a personal, outside pool and hot tub. The two blushed as they watched their Ashikabi remove his sleepwear, though remaining careful not to _fully _expose himself, and slide into the water. Seating himself comfortably, Naruto motioned for the ladies to enter as well, confusing them. Before, he seemed disgusted even being near them, and now he wanted them to join him in the tub? Hikari scoffed before removing her clothing, her sister following suit, before stepping in as well.

Contrary to what Hikari had been expecting, the water was only being kept at a luke-warm temperature. Hibiki noticed as well. Not to say it wasn't nice, but still, keeping the temperature low kind of defeated the purpose of a hot tub. "Naruto Uzumaki." They looked at the blonde strangely for a moment, before realizing that's what Minaka had called him as well. He was telling them his name. When they said nothing for a moment, he waved his hand, motioning them to introduce themselves as well.

"Sekirei number Eleven, Hikari." Naruto nodded in reply, before turning to his other Sekirei, who seemed much calmer than her twin sister.

"Sekirei number Twelve, Hibiki," she announced, and again Naruto nodded. Looking to the sky, he sighed and closed his eyes.

"And I thought this trip to Shinto Teito was going to be boring." Looking back to them with a hard gaze, he began. "If we are to be partners, I need to know everything about you. Your powers, strengths, weaknesses, tactics...everything. And you don't truly know someone until you fight them yourself." the Twin Sekireis looked alarmed at their Ashikabi's words.

"We can't fight you," said Hibiki, and Naruto frowned.

"If you are afraid I'll do to you what I did to that girl yesterday, rest assured, I have far more skill and control then you can imagine..." he said. Hikari and Hibiki did indeed remember what he had done to Mitsuha and shivered. Nobody at MBI had told them that there were humans who could take on Sekirei in combat. "However, if you're afraid you'll cause _me_ harm, you are sorely mistaken. So...care to try together, or one at a time?" The sadistic way in which he smiled at them caused both Hikari and Hibiki to press their backs into the wall of the tub.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Both Hikari and Hibiki were breathing heavily, flabbergasted at what was happening. Their Ashikabi, who was without a doubt _the_ most bizarre man they had ever met, had brought them out onto the city rooftops, actually outpacing them as he leapt deftly from roof to roof. When they wouldn't attack him, he began to do everything he could to provoke them into doing so. He was disappointed at their lack of physical prowess. Though they were far above human women, they apparently did not measure up to his standards, and he told them so, which served to infuriate Hikari, and even irritated the normally even-tempered Hibiki.

Combining their power, the two had sent a powerful, but more importantly, a non-lethal blast at their Ashikabi. When the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be found, which sent the two straight down the emotional spectrum from fury to panic. They prepared to leap to the ground to search, but Hikari was rocked by a kick to her gut from her Ashikabi, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. This sent her flying into her sister, causing them both to topple end over end toward the edge of the roof. Regaining their bearings, they jumped to their feet and began rabid-firing lightning bursts at their Ashikabi, now thoroughly confident that he really could handle himself. But they slowly began to run short on energy, which is why they stood, panting, on a destroyed rooftop, their Ashikabi again nowhere to be seen.

"Hmmm, well, not _too_ shabby," Naruto announced as he came up from behind the two and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. The two felt strangely comfortable in his embrace, before he shoved them onto their asses. "However, you're both a little too rough around the edges for my taste. I'm a part of this game now, and I do not take losses very well." He paused momentarily, cursing himself silently as he wished he had phrased that differently. The last thing he wanted to do right now was focus on the many, many things he had lost in his immortal life. Shaking those thoughts from his head, he continued. "Get used to this, you two. By the time I've finished training you, there will be no doubt who the strongest Sekirei are."

Despite his general jerk-ass attitude, both the Twins smirked just a bit. For all his anger and callousness, they at least got an Ashikabi who was completely competent. They could work on his social-skills later. They thought for a moment about how many lazy bums there were in the city that might otherwise had winged them. Unbeknownst to them, in a dirty mess of an apartment, one such bum sneezed himself out of a fantastic dream. Back to the matter at hand, Hikari and Hibiki shared a look.

Naruto yelped as electricity coursed through his system, frazzling his hair and leaving him scorched and twitching on the rooftop. As he looked up to his now standing Sekirei, he glared as they crossed their arms. "Hey," Hikari announced, defensively. "You never said this training exercise was finished..."

"Yeah," Hibiki continued innocently, taking over from her sister. "You really should be more clear about the rules." Naruto tried to say something, but his mouth snapped shut as he realized he had no rebuttal for their argument. Standing, he brushed himself off.

"Well, I think we'll get along better than I had hoped," he said, calmly, and the twins had no idea if he was being serious or not. "Come on," he continued, motioning for them to follow. "We'll head back to the hotel and get cleaned up, and then I believe it's time for lunch." The two nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with his suggestion.

As they leapt away over the rooftops, even Naruto didn't notice that they were being watched. From a nearby building that was currently in construction, a dark-haired woman sat on a high metal beam, a large bottle of sake in her hand. "Now that is interesting," she announced out-loud, to nobody in particular, as she took a rather large gulp of the alcoholic beverage. Face flushed, she smiled a bit, leaning against another beam. "I'll have to keep my eye on this one..."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Naruto stood under the shower head, letting the water cascade down his body, not even caring to really scrub himself as his mind flashed back to his dream earlier.

_Naruto took a deep breath in through his nose, letting it out through his mouth. He didn't open his eyes as he breathed. Sitting on the rooftop, he just continued the rhythmic breathing as a warm breeze caressed his face. It seemed like a normal, relaxing day, even for someone like the blonde immortal. But he knew better. Today was the big day. According to his sources, this was going to be his all-time best chance at finally rejoining his people. _

_His sensitive ears picked up a noise, and his right eye cracked open, looking up to see a small, dark speck falling from the sky, getting larger, and larger. One more deep breath, and Naruto steeled himself for what he was fairly certain was coming. "Please..." he whispered. "Bring me peace." A bright light overtook everything, and a massive wave of heat assaulted him, threatening to turn his entire body to ash as he was thrown by a great wind into the collapsing building._

He fell over and into the back wall of the shower as the previously cold water felt suddenly hot enough to melt his skin. Slipping with a shout, he collapsed onto the shower floor, practically clawing to get out of what deep down he knew to simply be an illusion. Hearing the commotion, Hikari and Hibiki were quick to act, rushing into the bathroom, to see their Ashikabi, naked, curled up in the bathroom corner, the shower still running.

He didn't seem to respond to Hibiki, who knelt down to try and find out what happened. Hikari, finding it odd that no steam at all was coming from the shower, felt the water to find it almost icy cold. She quickly pulled her hand back and turned the water off before joining her sister, who was having no luck in discovering what was wrong with him. When even slapping him in the face didn't show any effect, they resorted to drastic measures. Despite the water covering Naruto and the floor, they sent a low powered electric shock through him.

That seemed to do the trick, as Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head to regain his bearing, before opening his eyes, looking into the worried faces of his Sekirei. Grunting, he forced them away from him and stood, wrapping a towel around his waist and heading towards the door. "Hey," demanded Hikari, following her Ashikabi. "Just what the hell was that?" Before she could follow her sister, movement caught Hibiki's attention, and her eyes widened when she turned and took notice of a ghostly figure with the face of a demon and a dagger in it's teeth. It looked her in the eyes and she blinked. When her eyes opened again, the thing was nowhere to be seen. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes after a moment of staring at nothing.

She quickly caught up to her sister, who was arguing with their Ashikabi as he got dressed. She was actually torn. The part of her that was a true Sekirei was telling her to side with her Ashikabi, and the other part, her free will and thought, was screaming at her to force Naruto into an explanation. In the end, she sided with her sister, demanding to know just what had transpired in that bathroom.

"It. Is. _Fine!"_ Naruto growled, pulling on a simple, white t-shirt. "Nothing you should be concerned about." Both Twins' eyes widened in anger.

"NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT!" Shouted Hikari. "Damn it, Naruto! We're your Sekirei now. It's our duty to keep you safe and comfortable. We can't do that if you don't ever talk to us!"

"I don't need to be kept either safe or comfortable," Naruto replied, rather coldly. "I am more than capable of handling myself in a fight, even with Sekirei, or have you forgotten?" When he received only a seething glare from both girls in response, he continued. "As for comfort, as you can see just by looking around you, I live a pretty high lifestyle."

"There is more to safety and comfort than just the physical..." Hibiki replied, faltering a bit when Naruto's icy blue eyes turned directly to her, before he turned away from them both.

"I have neither want nor need of that kind of comfort." Even the hot-headed Hikari flinched at his words, but he didn't sound angry or frustrated. He sounded nothing more or less, than a tired melancholy.

For some reason, Naruto found his anger wavering the longer he looked upon the two, forcing him to turn away and look out the window. A part of him was actually berating himself for the way he was treating the girls, though the other part was completely apathetic. Putting on a false smile, one he had used on so many occasions, he turned back to his Sekirei, surprising them with his beaming grin, despite knowing it was obviously meant to simply appease them. "Well, let's eat!" he excitedly announced, stepping passed them toward the door. Hikari and Hibiki shared a look, silently agreeing to drop the subject, but only for now.

Chapter End

So guys, whatcha think? Know what's wrong with Naruto? (Well, besides the whole 'Immortal' thing...) I think it should be somewhat obvious, so leave any guesses in your reviews and PM's. The same with any suggestions about future Sekirei to add to Naruto's group.

Peace to all my Fans

Fan of Fanfics


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